For the first month or two after last season I couldn't wait for the next season. The long layoff has tempered my excitement but I'm sure when it starts back up ill be glued to it. Walking dead, game of thrones and Spartacus are by far my favorite shows.

Wait a minute.
Spartacus is everyone's favorite show as it tries to hold onto real (known) facts as much as possible. You can't put that into a thread about "stretch goals" Martin's fantasy cash cow that noone but him knows how many sequels (books) will it have in the end.
In the case of Spartacus, the ongoing season is the last one - it's not cancelled or something but it's the end of the story that really happened. They could have turned it into a soap opera, but then again, they're not Martin.

Originally Posted by joxer
Wait a minute.
Spartacus is everyone's favorite show as it tries to hold onto real (known) facts as much as possible. You can't put that into a thread about "stretch goals" Martin's fantasy cash cow that noone but him knows how many sequels (books) will it have in the end.
In the case of Spartacus, the ongoing season is the last one - it's not cancelled or something but it's the end of the story that really happened. They could have turned it into a soap opera, but then again, they're not Martin.

Don't forget season three is being split to make two seasons. Have to milk the series till Martin gets off his lazy ass and finishes it. I except the next two seasons will get the same treatment.

I enjoyed Rome when it was on and don't really care about Spartacus. Vikings on the other hand is very good. It covers the viking invasion of England in the late 900's. If you have on demand on cable you can watch the first three episodes for free,

I haven't read any of Martin's books with the exception of 'Songs of Stars and Shadows' so I don't know about how close/far the TV series is from the books, but some artistic/medial freedom is something I usually don't mind.

Game of Thrones is a nice enough TV series - characters and dialog make it fun to watch. I'm quite content with watching season 2 this week as 3 will take its time to get over here as usual. But while I like GoT about as much as I liked Rome, I prefer Spartacus by far - can't wait for season 3 airing here.
Where GoT is rather sophisticated, Spartacus is stripped down to the bare basics: it's all about sex, violence and intrigue … *just* about sex, violence and intrigue, preferrably all in one and the same scene. The series manages to satisfy my baser instincts in a rather concise form: I don't have to sit through hours of character development to get to the next gory/sexy scene .

Originally Posted by joxer
Rome was awsome! Too bad it lasted only 2 seasons…

Vikings… Isn't that a documentary that's also being aired on History?

No it's actually a tv series. I thought the same thing also till I watched it. They also have a bible tv series that isn't bad either.Viking basically follows the dynasty of the man who started the invasion. So far there still in the early stages of his family's rise.

I watched Spartacus for the first season only. I was surprised to see Lucy Lawless from Xena and the role she played. I lost interest after that.

Rome was one of the best recreated roman settings but there budget was to high to continue the series. I have both seasons on DVD.

"Xena" IMO did an awsome job in first three parts of the story. If possible grab those three seasons (second is in fact a prequel of the first one) and watch the transformation of her character. Not from zero to hero, but from an almost-innocence to the full bitch and finally a complete lunatic adored by (ignorant) masses.
Starz did a great job putting her to that role.

But it's also very much a one-trick pony. I'm not sure if the books are the same way - but the stories repeat themselves over and over. It's a very harsh world with powerhungry people in it - and they do what they can to fuck each other over.

I guess the "high point" is about the sex and the brutality - but I find it gets stale and predictable after a while.

Tyrion the popstar of the show is so utterly implausible and "for-effect" that I cringe every time he enters the screen. The writer(s) obviously has an unhealthy crush on that imp. If only they'd bothered to care as much about the rest of the main characters, I'm sure the show would feel more varied.

I really wonder how people couldn't see Rob's ending. While i was reading the books, the wedding and the feast was "shouting" Rob's death. The different is that i was expecting poison or a kill in the bed.

Promised to marry a lady and you go after a peasant? And you called your self a king? ha.

Originally Posted by akarthis
I really wonder how people couldn't see Rob's ending. While i was reading the books, the wedding and the feast was "shouting" Rob's death. The different is that i was expecting poison or a kill in the bed.

Promised to marry a lady and you go after a peasant? And you called your self a king? ha.